Coach Stefan Kuntz made two changes to the side that beat Romania 4-2 in the semi-finals. Florian Neuhaus was replaced by Suat Serdar in holding midfield and the former Leverkusen defender Benni Henrichs returned to the left back slot after a one-match ban. Maximilian Mittelstädt dropped down to the bench.
Germany appeared to show great respect at the start to Spain who lost 1-0 in the 2017 final thanks to a goal from Mitchell Weiser. Germany were much too passive allowing Spain to control proceedings by dominating possession. And the team coached by Luis de la Fuente made full use of their first chance on goal. Fabian burst through the centre of the German defence and fired in a shot from 25 yards for the opener.
The Kuntz eleven were more adventurous after the set-back but there were no clear-cut chances before the break. Goalkeeper Antonio Sivera was only tested once. However, a deflected shot from the former Werkself pro Levin Öztunali was no problem for Spain's number one.
The second half continued in the same vein with Germany on the front foot from the start. Nadiem Amiri had a good chance to level after good work in the build-up from Henrichs but the keeper Sivera was on his toes. And the second goal for Spain came on 69 minutes – Alexander Nübel was unable to hold on to a long-range effort from Fabian and Dani Olmo was left with a simple tap-in. Fabian missed on 75 minutes and Soler hit the bar (81') in the search for the third goal.
As Luca Waldschmidt failed to convert chances in the box on 74 and 83 minutes, the goal scored by Amiri to make it 2-1 on 88 minutes was a mere consolation when he beat the Spain keeper with a deflected shot from distance. The match ended for the team led by the skipper Jonathan Tah, who went the full distance, as the U21 Euros runners-up. Reaching the semi-finals in the tournament does mean Germany qualify for the 2020 Olympics football tournament in Tokyo.
Jonathan Tah was very disappointed after the game: "We were unsettled after conceding the early goal. The second half was better. And we gave our all right to the end. We can take a lot of positives from the tournament."
Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
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Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
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High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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They're well on their way to becoming German champions for the 35th time and once again proved their incredible class in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. This Saturday, 14 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayern Munich will be the visitors to the BayArena. It'll be a meeting of the two Bundesliga teams with the most dominant styles of play. A look at our opponents shows the visitors from the Bavarian capital have many strengths - but are also vulnerable.
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